The present invention generally relates to methods of installing flooring, and more particularly to a method of installing flooring in bathrooms and adjacent to bathroom fixtures such as bathtubs and shower enclosures.
It is a common practice in the flooring industry, when installing vinyl or other types of flooring in a bathroom, to partially cove the flooring. This is done by installing a coving cap which is roughly J-shaped in cross section along the wall of the bathroom near the floor. The vinyl flooring is ramped up the wall a few inches and secured in the channel of the cove cap. The coved flooring is used in place of baseboards and other types of trim. In a coved installation of this type, where the vinyl flooring is adjacent to the side of a bathroom fixture such as a bathtub or shower enclosure, the vinyl or other flooring is trimmed so that it lays flat on the floor and butts against the side of the bathtub or shower enclosure. A bead of caulking, such as silicone, is placed along the edge where the vinyl flooring butts against the bathtub or shower enclosure.
This forms a waterproof seal and would seem to offer the installer an easy and inexpensive way to seal the edges of the vinyl floor. Over time, however, the tub and floor will flex relative to each other and ultimately the caulking seal will be broken. What is worse, the breach in the seal will not be obvious and may go unnoticed for many years. During this time water will penetrate under the flooring and into the bare wood floor framing. The source of the water can be from people stepping out of the bathtub/shower, splashing, ineffective shower curtains, leaking shower doors, mopping the floor, toilet overflow and other causes. Over the years, the wood under the flooring will rot and the floor will degrade structurally and cosmetically. Ultimately, costly remodeling work is required to correct the problem.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a method of joining vinyl or other flooring in a bathroom to the edge of bathroom fixtures, such as bathtubs or shower enclosures, so that a waterproof basin is formed, which prevents water from penetrating into the wood under the flooring and allows the bathroom fixture to move relative to the bathroom floor without breaking the seal.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description as follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
These and other objects and advantages are attained by the method of the invention, which is a method of joining bathroom flooring material to the walls and fixtures of a bathroom. The fixtures may include the sides of bathtubs, shower enclosures, cabinets, counters, and other structures which form a wall which is essentially perpendicular to the floor of the bathroom. The purpose of the invention is to form a leak-proof and permanent coved joint, for leak-proof floor edges.
The method of the invention includes the first step of attaching a coving cap to the bathroom walls and fixtures. The coving cap is attached several inches from the floor, and basically takes the place of molding. The coving cap is typically a piece of extruded aluminum or other material which may be molded into the wall of the bathroom fixture, or which may be attached in a separate step using a means of attachment. The means attachment can be a strip of doublesided tape, a bead of adhesive, chemically or thermally melted adhesive, epoxy, or any conventional means of attachment. The coving cap is basically J-shaped in cross section and is mounted so that the xe2x80x9cJxe2x80x9d is upside down. The features of the coving cap cross section include a bead surface which is mounted uppermost, a face surface which is perpendicular or normal to the bead surface, and a channel portion which is formed by the J-shape. The bead surface is normal to the wall or the wall of the fixture, and later in the installation, a bead of caulking will be applied to the inner section of the bead surface and the bathroom wall or fixture wall. The face surface of the coving cap faces away from the center of the room, and toward the bathroom wall or fixture wall. Adhesive is placed on the face surface for securing the coving cap to the bathroom fixture.
The next step in the process is attaching a coving stick to the bathroom floor at the intersection of the bathroom wall, and the fixture wall. The bathroom wall and the fixture wall form an intersection which is essentially a 90xc2x0 angle where they join. The coving stick is attached at this intersection by a means of attachment. The means of attachment can be by the use of an adhesive, by tacking or nailing, by heat or spot welding, by gluing or by other conventional means of attachment. The coving stick is a form which can take a number of shapes, each of which has a semicircular side which is adjacent to the curve of the vinyl flooring, and a corner side, which conforms to the angles of the intersection of the walls and floor.
The next step in the method is to apply vinyl or other flooring material to the bathroom floor and trimming the flooring to shape so that a portion of the flooring extends beyond the edge of the floor and turns vertically up the side of the bathroom walls and the fixture walls, and past the coving cap.
The next step is trimming the flooring material so that an edge of the flooring material is cut to an appropriate length for insertion into the channel portion of the coving cap. Next, the edge of the flooring material is inserted into the channel portion of the coving cap. The edge of the flooring material is thus inserted into the coving cap all around the entire perimeter of the bathroom floor. At the corners of the bathroom floor, the flooring material is cut so that it forms a mitered corner, with all the edges being inserted into the channel portion of coving cap. The edges of the mitered corner are sealed together, using heat, glue or caulking sealant, or a trim piece to form a waterproof mitered corner. The edge of the flooring material is not glued or secured in the channel portion of the coving cap, but is trapped in the channel portion. As the floor moves up and down in relation to the walls and the fixture wall of the bathtub or shower enclosure, the edge of the flooring material is free to move up and down in the channel portion of the coving cap. A bead of silicone or other waterproof caulking is placed on the bead edge of the coving cap, and forms a waterproof seal between the bathroom wall or the fixture wall, and the coving cap. This is to prevent the ponding of water droplets on the bead surface.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description wherein I have shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiment are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.